Travel Agents Recommend Five Special Spots Around Globe
By JOHN CHRISTENSEN, For the Journal-Constitution

It's the time of year when savvy travelers begin making summer vacation plans. And despite the weak dollar, travel agents say that many Americans are going to Italy. Again.

"Italy's still No. 1," says Martha Gaughen of Sterling Brownell in Atlanta. "There are so many different regions and beautiful properties. The people, the food, the wine ... everything about it makes for a great trip. There's no place where you feel unsafe, and people just keep going back."

But for those who've had their fill of pasta, pesto and Positano, we asked five travel agents to put together itineraries to five other hot destinations.

Oddly enough, three of them pass through areas with significant Italian influence: Ljubljana in Slovenia, Locarno in Switzerland, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The fourth — Costa Rica — gets so many repeat visitors it might be called the Italy of Latin America. That leaves Botswana, which has no apparent connection to Italy, but it may seem familiar. It's the country where the charming "The Gods Must Be Crazy" was filmed.

Argentina and Peru
Two weeks is scarcely enough time to see Argentina or Peru, and Pamela Walker of Explorations (678-921-2010) says it would be a shame to miss either one. She suggests a week in each — long enough to get a feel for them, and begin planning your return visit.

She put together a trip ($4,000 to $5,000 per person) that begins in Buenos Aires, the stylish Argentine capital influenced by Italian and Spanish cultures. She recommends three or four days of sightseeing and shopping, and evenings learning to tango.

Tango bars frequented by locals are called "milongas," and any hotel concierge can direct you to the newest and the best. She also recommends sampling the wines, noting that some of the best malbecs are just $8 a bottle.

Fly next to Patagonia, the vast southern steppes where the landscape varies from the beautiful lakes and scenery of the Bariloche to the forbidding domain of sea lions and penguins in Ushuaia. Outdoor activities abound, among them golf, skiing, horseback riding, fishing and hiking on glaciers.

Lima, the vibrant capital on Peru's desert coastline, is next. It offers excellent museums, superb architecture, fascinating neighborhoods and friendly people. Also, be sure to catch a sightseeing flight over the Nazca Lines, the stunning shapes and figures etched into 200 square miles of plateau more than 2,000 years ago.

Finally, visit Machu Picchu, the pre-Columbian Inca ruins, and nearby lakes and villages, where women still weave in the ancient Peruvian style.

Botswana
Botswana is mostly grasslands, deserts and wetlands with just a few roads, but it has its share of superlatives. There are the Makgadikgadi Pans in the Kalahari Desert, the bed of a long-dead lake that forms the largest salt pans on Earth. There is also the Okavango Delta, an ecosystem covering 8,500 square miles, and the largest oasis in the world.

Vee Thompson of Game Plan Africa (770-754-1419) suggests you see both, and as long as you're in the area, Victoria Falls in Zambezi, as well.

After flying to Johannesburg, South Africa, catch a small plane to the edge of the pans, where you stay in a canvas tent (bucket shower, flush toilet). Oryx, brown hyena and springbok are plentiful, and an encounter with the endearing mongooselike meerkat is a distinct possibility. Activities include guided walking tours and use of all-terrain vehicles.

The next several days are spent at camps in the Okavango Delta, most of which are reached by small plane. Wildlife concentrations depend on the amount of rainfall and volume of water in the delta, but among the wildlife you'll see will be elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo and antelope. Birds include the greater and lesser jacanas and, one of the birders' favorites, Pel's fishing owl.

The trip concludes with a river cruise in the Chobe region of Zambezi and a visit to Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world.

An 11-night, 12-day excursion is $7,188 per person, double occupancy. Airfare is roughly $2,000 more.

Costa Rica
From butterfly farms and cool mountains near San Jose in the east to a dazzling, 150-mile stretch of beach on the Pacific coast, Costa Rica is capitalizing on its varied charms and has made tourism its No. 1 industry.

"There's more to do in Costa Rica than in Mexico and the Caribbean combined," says Arthur Salus of Costa Rica Dream Adventures (770-813-9895). "There are mountains, volcanoes and pristine beaches. Eco-tourism has become very popular ... and it's the safest country in Latin America."

Salus put together a five-night, six-day itinerary ($2,000 per person) that begins with day and night sightseeing and shopping in San Jose.

A transfer company then takes you to Arenal, an active volcano with five-star resorts and therapeutic hot springs at its base. "On a clear night," Salus says, "you can see the red lava and the red smoke at the peak."

Among the activities are hiking, fishing and exhilarating treetop canopy tours.

The trip concludes with a few days on the west coast, which is garlanded with all-inclusive resorts and spas offering golf, tennis, swimming, sea kayaking, boating, deep-sea fishing, yoga and meditation.

The return flight leaves from Liberia.

Croatia and Slovenia
It used to be that only jet-setters and the cognoscenti knew about Croatia and Slovenia. But now that Serbo-Croatian hostilities have ended, Gaughen of Sterling Brownell (404-261-2326) says tourism in the region is experiencing a renewal.

"The people are wonderful," Gaughen says, "and there's a very old European feel. There are quaint little villages, beautiful churches and no high- rises."

Gaughen's 10-day, $5,000-$5,500 per-person trip begins in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana (pronounced LOO-blee-ah-nah), a city so comely that civic leaders are already worried about the commercialization that has befallen Prague, Czech Republic, and Budapest, Hungary.

The vibrant university town has ancient sites as well as modern boutiques and restaurants and numerous cultural events each year. Lake Bled is an easy day trip and, says Gaughen, "it's absolutely gorgeous."

Next stop is the Croatian capital, Zagreb, which has retained its old-world charm despite the high-fashion resonance of the Ilica, its main promenade. Its Upper Town dates to feudal times, and the 13th-century Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the most memorable in Europe.

A 45-minute Croatia Airlines flight lands you in Split, a resort town on the Adriatic Sea with palm trees, waterfront cafes and nine miles of beaches. It also is home to Diocletian's Palace, a 1,700-year-old World Heritage Site.

A hydrofoil whisks you next to the fragrant island of Hvar (pronounced "hwahr") in time for lunch and a guided tour of this playground of the rich and famous.

Then on to Dubrovnik, which The New York Times called "arguably, Europe's most beautiful city." Nestled on the Adriatic coast, it is the hub of the Croatian Riviera and offers everything from snorkeling and kayaking to cultural events and night life.

Gaughen recommends side trips to Montenegro (shopping), Kotor (another World Heritage Site) and Sveti Stefan (a medieval village-turned-resort).

Switzerland
Just as there is a "slow food" movement, Ann Lombardi of the Trip Chicks (770-454-7205, www.thetripchicks.com) thinks beleaguered travelers might be ready for "slow travel" — and a surprisingly affordable vacation in postcard-perfect Switzerland.

The key is staying in a two- or three-star inn and taking day trips. "You have the peace and tranquillity of a family-run inn," says Lombardi, "and you get breakfast and dinner daily, so it doesn't cost what it does in a big hotel."

And with a second-class Swissrail Pass, you can go anywhere you want. There are more than 400 museums in Switzerland. A 10-day trip costs less than $3,000.

Lombardi recommends flying to Zurich, catching a train to Bern, and another to Kandersteg, a small village in the Bernese Alps.

"There are ancient little churches, the sounds of cowbells in mountain pastures, the clean alpine air, and lots of peace and quiet," Lombardi says. "It's also a great hub."

Take a train to nearby Spiez, another timeless village with a lake and castle. Or, for more excitement, visit Bern, the capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"It's a wonderful city with a small-town feel," says Lombardi. "There's so much to do, and the shops are all arcaded, so if it rains, there's no problem."

The highlight of the trip begins with a train to Brig, where you catch the Centovalli ("Hundred Valleys"), a train that climbs through mountain valleys to Domodossola, Italy, then loops back to Locarno in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland.

"It's a stunning train ride," says Lombardi, "and Locarno feels like Florida. There are beautiful palm trees, a lake and a monastery on top of a hill with an incredible view."

Other options include: Sion in the French-speaking section of the country ("Great wines!" says Lombardi); Lucerne; or Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

Or visit the spectacular Jungfraujoch, the "top of Europe." Those peaks to the south are in Italy.